Recently we had a batch of scam letters arrive at our office for a selection of clients, sent to us as their Registered Office.
These letters were purportedly from Companies House and referred to a “Payment Code Number”.
At first glance they looked official and genuine, as they cloned Companies Houses logo and style. Three things let them down:
- Clumsy English
- A payment demand that was out of cycle (and many people wouldn’t know that)
- A payment link, via a QR code, that takes you to a non .gov.uk domain
The particular link used has been shut down, but you can be sure they will sprig up again.
Recently we received a number of emails purporting to be from our professional body ACCA, with a fee invoice for payment. The style of the email, the amount, and the narrative were all quite genuine – again the only clue was that the payee name wasn’t ACCA – it was someone else’s payment details hijacked.
So, in the words of Shaw Taylor, “Keep em peeled” – any payment demand that it is unexpected or out of cycle, look at it very closely – give-aways are the language, the sending email, and the payment link.